Before Sunday’s games kick off, it’s time to empty the numbers from the notebook …

Earlier in the week, Jagaurs coach Jack Del Rio compared Bears running back Matt Forte to Marcus Allen. It’s not hard to understand why. Forte leads the Bears in receptions with 48, and is bidding to become the first Chicago rookie to lead the team in receptions since Mike Ditka in 1961.

Even more impressive, Forte needs only five yards from scrimmage to break Gale Sayers‘ record for a Bears rookie.

Most scrimmage yards by a rookie

Bears history

Player

Year

Rushing yards

Rec. yards

Scrimmage yards

Gale Sayers

1965

867

507

1,374

Matt Forte

2008

1,012

358

1,370

Anthony Thomas

2001

1,183

178

1,361

Beattie Feathers

1934

1,004

174

1,178

Rashaan Salaam

1995

1,074

56

1,130

Harlon Hill

1954

1,124

0

1,124

Mike Ditka

1961

1,076

0

1,076

Forte also is joining some elite company, being one of the few rookies to account for more than 35 percent of his teams offense.

Highest Pct. of Team’s Scrimmage Yds

Rookies in the Super Bowl era

Player

Scrimmage yards

Pct.

Marshall Faulk, 1994

1,804

39.4

Eric Dickerson, 1983

2,212

39.1

Edgerrin James, 1999

2,139

36.6

Matt Forte, 2008

1,370

35.7

George Rogers, 1981

1,800

35.6

All of the players, outside of Forte, were top four overall picks. Forte was selected in the second round.

Detroit is not picking an easy week to try to get its first win of the season. The Vikings have won 12 of their last 13 games versus the Lions and, dating back to 1998, Minnesota has racked up an 18-3 record versus Detroit. That’s not to say that Detroit won’t win this weekend; it just would be the upset of the season.

After missing the last four games with a sprained left knee, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub is expected to return to Houston’s starting lineup. But with the Texans playing in Green Bay, Schaub did not pick an ideal spot to come back. He has lost his last nine road games and is 1-10 as a starter on the road.

Check out how much better, and how much more consistent Schaub has been at home.

Matt Schaub career as a starter

Home

Road

W-L

6-3

1-10

Comp Pct.

67.3

62.2

Pass YPG

255

199.5

TD-INT

13-6

9-13

Passer Rtg.

101

74.6

As much as the two might not have gotten along in the past, nobody has missed Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer any more than Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson. This season, Johnson is averaging a paltry 9.5 yards per catch, which ranks him 75th out of 77 qualifying receivers. In other words, hurry back, Carson.

It sure hasn’t bothered New York before when wide receiver Plaxico Burress was out of the lineup in the past. Since Burress joined the team in 2005, the Giants are 3-0 in games their star wideout has not played. The Giants beat the Texans, 14-10, on Nov. 5, 2006, with Burress out of the lineup due to back spasms. This season, with Burress gone again, the Giants defeated the Seahawks 44-6. Then last Sunday, with Burress nursing his hamstring and thigh injuries, the Giants beat the Redskins, 23-7. As if that weren’t enough, in the game they briefly benched Burress for missing a treatement session on his neck earlier this season, the Giants beat the Steelers 21-14. Sounds like Burress needs the Giants a bit more than they need him.

Just as he has gotten better as this season has gone along, Titans quarterback Kerry Collins also has gotten better as the games have gone along. Collins’ passer rating has increased in each quarter this season. Collins has thrown four interceptions (and no touchdowns) in the first quarter this season and has a passer rating of 56.0 in the opening frame. But Collins has not thrown an interception after the first quarter this season, and all six of his nine touchdowns have come in the second half. His fourth quarter passer rating is 96.3.

Two of the NFL’s toughest home teams perennially have been Denver and Seattle. But this season, not so much. Heading into Sunday’s game in Denver against Kansas City, the Broncos have lost three consecutive home games. The last time they lost four straight home games was under Wade Phillips over the course of two seasons in 1993-94. The Seahawks already have lost four straight home games as they prepare to host the Patriots Sunday. The last time they lost five straight home games was back in the woeful 1992 season.

AND FINALLY
If the Cowboys seem like a different team with Tony Romo at quarterback, it’s because they are. Since Romo returned, the Cowboys have won three straight. In his past two games, Romo has thrown six touchdown passes and one interception. Take a look at the Cowboys offense this season with and without Romo.

Cowboys offense in 2008

With Romo

Without Romo

W-L

7-2

1-2

PPG

28.7

13.7

Pass YPG

278.6

140.3

Pass TD-INT

21-8

3-6

Yet as good as Dallas has been with Romo, it has the challenge of the season in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have allowed only 10 points in each of their last three games. And hard as this might be to believe in defense-rich Pittsburgh, Steelers linebacker James Harrison is now one sack shy of the franchise’s all-time single season sack record. Harrison has 14 sacks and is one shy of tying the 15 that former Steelers linebacker Mike Merriweather rang up in 1987.

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